House Speaker Matt Huffman. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS)
Ohio lawmakers braved the snow to begin the 136th General Assembly and select new leaders for the House and Senate Monday. As in years past, the likely leaders were decided by the majority caucuses months ago. But unlike the last time lawmakers voted, those earlier decisions actually held.
Republican Matt Huffman of Lima made a smooth transition from Senate President last general assembly to House Speaker now. His majority floor leader last year, Napoleon Republican state Sen. Rob McColley, got a promotion, and will serve as Senate President in the new two-year assembly.
That history sets up the two men for what could be a uniquely productive partnership. Both chambers of the general assembly will be led by men with similar legislative outlooks and a strong working relationship. It comes on the heels of one of the least productive legislative sessions in decades.
As if to underscore that relationship, McColley took a moment before senators took their oath of office to give Huffman the flag that flew above the Statehouse during his term as Senate President. Still, Huffman insisted the two chambers will still have different priorities.
“Look, this is like the Army and the Navy,” he said. “We’re both on the same side here, but the Navy wants to do their thing, and the Army wants to do their thing.
“So I expect that Senator McColley and the folks in the Senate are going to have their priorities, and our caucus will have their priorities,” he continued. “And often those will be the same thing, but sometimes they’re simply not going to be.”
The Ohio Senate
In brief remarks, state Sens. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, and Susan Manchester, R-Waynesfield, praised McColley’s legislative track-record and attention to detail. There were no other Senators nominated, and the chamber confirmed him unanimously.
“Ohio, I believe, is at a crossroads right now,” McColley said after taking the oath. “A crossroads economically, a crossroads in many respects of what our destiny and what our shared future is going to be, and I believe that if we work together, our best days are in front of us.”
The members went on to nominate and confirm Sen. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, as President Pro Tempore, Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, as majority floor leader and Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester, majority whip.
Across the aisle, Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, was tapped again to serve as minority leader, and Sens. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, will stay on as assistant majority leader and minority whip respectively. New state Sen. Beth Liston, D-Dublin, who previously served in the Ohio House, will take over as assistant minority whip.
Speaking after the votes and the oaths, McColley addressed the broad outlines of what he hopes to accomplish in the coming session.
“Property tax reform, I think, is going to be one of the things we take a look at,” McColley said. “There’s going to be a lot of conversations about energy, as there has been for the past several months. Of course, we’re going to jump into the budget, and I would imagine there’s going to be a desire to continue the tax reform that we’ve done over the course of time.”
Asked about potential energy legislation, McColley expressed interest in making it easier to drill for natural gas in Ohio, but for the most part, he pushed off discussion of any policy specifics until after an upcoming legislative retreat.
Minority Leader Nickie Antonio brought up property taxes as well, but put greater emphasis on the importance of building affordable housing.
And although Antonio was quick to note they often disagreed on policy, she expressed appreciation for the working relationship she built with both Huffman and McColley over the last few years.
“When we call each other, the other picks up the phone,” she explained.
Antonio seemed optimistic the new leaders’ rapport might mean a more productive legislative session, even though internal Republican disagreements helped derail legislation like a higher ed overhaul Democrats strongly opposed.
“They may or may not agree on everything, but they will at least debate and have a conversation,” Antonio argued. “That’s been missing for this past (General Assembly), for sure.”
The Ohio House
The House GOP rivalry is finished — at least that’s how the votes looked. Speaker Matt Huffman won his position unanimously after a two-year long, bitter battle between former Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, and a section of the caucus.
State Reps. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, and Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, spoke of unity and integrity while nominating Huffman. No other representative was nominated.
“I am committed to a professional, fact-based and thorough process in our analysis of the law and the bills that come before us; our goal should be clarity and resolution,” Huffman said during a speech at the end of session. “If we can resolve things, if we can make decisions and move on, that is one sign of success, and that’s what I’m committed to.”
The rest of the leadership also received near total support, including Speaker Pro Tempore Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, Majority Floor Leader Marilyn John, R-Richland County, Assistant Majority Floor Leader Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, and Majority Whips Riordan McClain, R-Upper Sandusky, Nick Santucci R-Howland Twp., Steve Demetriou, R-Bainbridge Twp., and Josh Williams R-Sylvania.
There were three votes dealing with majority leadership: speaker, speaker pro tem and the remaining majority officers are all included in one vote. Huffman and Manning were unanimous. Stephens was the only member to abstain from voting for the rest of the majority officers.
The Democratic leadership selections also went smoothly, for the most part. House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, was reelected, as was Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, Minority Whip Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, and Assistant Minority Whip Michele Grim, D-Toledo.
Four Republicans voted against the minority officers and six Republicans didn’t vote. The rest, other than the absent members, voted in favor.
Speaking to reporters after session, Huffman said that the caucus priorities will be decided at their retreat in a few weeks, but mentioned some ideas.
He wants to change marijuana policy as passed by voters in November 2023, revise regulations around development with local government, update energy policy, and make sure the budget is properly dealt.
“There’s going to be a significant issue with energy – the way we create, distribute, and pay for energy in the state of Ohio, in my estimation, is an outmoded, outdated way of doing that,” he said.
Huffman also addressed property taxes in connection with public school funding.
“Property tax does need to get addressed and, as I said, this is a two-headed beast,” the speaker said. “You can’t talk about revenue without talking about costs — and those costs… average about three-quarters of that are what’s being spent in public schools.”
The speaker made further comments about the fair school funding plan, adding that the increases in spending that were set up for the upcoming fiscal years are “unsustainable.”
“We have to look at whether these dollars are being spent wisely in some districts,” he said.
Russo is concerned about the demolishment of the fair school funding plan, and says the Dems will fight against changes to the formula. Other Democratic priorities include property tax relief and lowering costs of goods and services for families, she said.
“There seems to be a lot of alignment, particularly in the space of criminal justice… I think there’s gonna be a lot of disagreement on policy, public education… We will continue to push for the housing issue, there’s disagreement on what the priorities are.”
Speaker transition
Stephens got to give his goodbye speech, as well.
He spoke about bipartisanship, kindness despite differences, and the role that lawmakers play in the lives of the “every day” Ohioan.
“Our job is to serve the people, the people of our districts and the people of Ohio — these people who sent us here to this town, whether they all voted for us to be here or not, are all counting on us to work hard to understand the issues and make the tough decisions that will ultimately improve their lives,” Stephens said.
The former speaker will continue serving in the House, just not in a leadership role.
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